Add a little zip to your weeknight meal with an easy hamburger stir-fry paired with a glass of sake

Heather Lynn PetersThis was full of Asian flavors, and a nice change of pace for a weeknight meal.

There are a few rules husbands, boyfriends and friends should abide by in an effort to maintain a happy, healthy relationship.

For example, when asked, “Do these pants make me look fat?” The answer is always (I mean, always), “No.”

The same rule applies when a cook asks the question, “How does it taste?”

The wrong answer: “Do we have any ketchup?”

The right answer: “Perfect.”

My husband answers the “taste question” with one of two expressions: If I get the “bitter beer” look, the meal goes in the garbage.

If his mouth is full, and he shovels in another fork full before he can answer, we have ourselves a winner. (And I feature it on Spunky Kitchen!)

This recipe was a risky one as my husband's palate is rather, well... complicated: Nothing too spicy, nothing too bland, nothing with Thyme, no Indian food, hold the hot stuff....

*Sigh*

Needless to say, when I put something in front of him that is somewhat unconventional, I hold my breath and wait for “the face.”

This recipe prompted an initial, “Do we have any ketchup?” expression (before he tried it) followed by a happy face full of food — and a thumbs up. Gotta love that.

So here it is, and keep in mind this stir-fry would work great with sliced steak, chicken or even shrimp. I used ground beef and egg noodles, but the noodles could have easily been substituted with rice (had I remembered to pick that up on my last trip to the grocery store.)

There's also a great stir-fry recipe that I used as a guide from Taste of Home. It uses rice and a variation of veggies.

Here's my stir-fry ground beef:

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef

2. 1 /2 lb of asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces

3. 1 can of baby corn, found in ethnic or Asian food aisle

4. 1 can of water chestnuts

5. 1 tablespoons of sesame seeds, divided

6. 2 tablespoons of sugar or Splenda

7. 1 tablespoon of garlic powder

8. 1 teaspoon of salt

9. 3 teaspoons of ground mustard

10. 1 teaspoon of black pepper

11. 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil

12. 1 package of whole wheat egg noodles

13. Low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Cook the whole-wheat egg noodles, about 10 minutes, drain and set aside.